1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to surgical fastener removers, and more particularly relates to surgical fastener removers for use in endoscopic and laparoscopic procedures.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures are minimally invasive procedures in which operations are carried out within the body by means of elongated instruments inserted through small entrance openings in the body. The initial opening in the body tissue to allow passage of the endoscopic or laparoscopic instruments to the interior of the body may be a natural passageway of the body, or it can be created by a tissue piercing instrument such as a trocar. With the aid of a cannula assembly inserted into the opening, laparoscopic or endoscopic instrumentation may then be used to perform desired surgical procedures.
Laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical procedures generally require that any instrumentation inserted in the body be sealed, i.e. provisions must be made to ensure that gases do not enter or exit the body through the instrument or the entrance incision so that the surgical region of the body, e.g. the peritoneum, may be insufflated. Mechanical actuation of such instruments is for the most part constrained to the movement of the various components along a longitudinal axis with means provided to convert longitudinal movement to lateral movement where necessary. Because the endoscopic or laparoscopic tubes, instrumentation, and any required punctures or incisions are relatively narrow, endoscopic or laparoscopic surgery is less invasive and causes much less trauma to the patient as compared to procedures in which the surgeon is required to cut open large areas of body tissue.
Surgical fasteners or staples are often used to join body tissue during laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. Such fasteners typically have a pair of legs joined by a backspan and are set into the body by means of an elongated instrument which crimps the fastener legs to secure the fastener and tissue. Once a fastener is crimped into place, it may be necessary to remove the fastener. This need can arise when a fastener is misplaced or otherwise determined to be in an undesirable location. However, it is extremely difficult to remove the fastener without causing damage to the surrounding tissue, especially due to the nature of minimally invasive surgery wherein the fastener must be manipulated from a position outside the body.
Various types of surgical fastener or staple removers are known but are not suited for endoscopic procedures. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,631 discloses a surgical staple remover comprising two pivotally connected arms, each of which is made up of a proximal handle and a distal nose piece. The apparatus operates in a manner similar to a pair of pliers- the surgeon grasps a staple backspan with the nose piece of the remover and then squeezes the handles to bend the staple's backspan to cause the staple legs to pull out of the body. In operation, however, such surgical fastener removers are not suited for endoscopic or laparoscopic surgery because they cannot be inserted into a cannula assembly.
Therefore, the novel surgical apparatus pursuant to the present invention advantageously provides an endoscopic surgical fastener remover configured and dimensioned to be fully operational within a finite space, such as in an abdominal cavity and a cannula assembly, to remover fasteners which have been applied endoscopically.